LSU has lineup changes for South Carolina

No. 9 LSU has a few lineup changes for its game against No. 3 South Carolina on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:06 p.m.

Freshman Lamar Louis of Breaux Bridge will start in place of injured Kwon Alexander at strongside linebacker. Louis gets the start ahead of junior Luke Muncie, who has been limited to special teams in recent games because of a stomach disorder.

Redshirt freshman Trai Turner of New Orleans will start at right guard ahead of Josh Willford (concussion), and senior Josh Dworaczyk of New Iberia will start at left tackle ahead of senior Alex Hurst, who is not dressed out. Hurst us dealing with an unspecified personal issue.

Just two of the five players who started the season on the Tigers offensive line will start against one of the top defensive lines in the country. Sophomore La’El Collins is expected to start at left guard and senior P.J. Lonergan is expected to start at center.

Dworaczyk and Hurst have both started at left tackle since Chris Faulk was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Freshman Vadal Alexander will start at right tackle, which was Hurst’s position before Faulk’s injury.

The Gamecocks (6-0 and 4-0 in Southeastern Conference) lead the league with 25 sacks. The Tigers are 5-1 and 1-1.

LSU has won a school-record 21 consecutive games in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers, who lost at Florida (14-6) last Saturday have lost consecutive games just once in coach Les Miles’ eight seasons.

Ross began covering LSU football and baseball for The Advocate in November 2013. He has previously covered Missouri for The Columbia Tribune, Auburn for The Decatur Daily and Jackson State and high schools for The Clarion-Ledger.

Lawrence is currently a stringer and contributor to The Advocate. He is a senior at LSU, and he plans to graduate in May 2015. He previously worked at The Daily Reveille, where he primarily covered LSU football and baseball.